Tool chest



J. BENT'Z TOOL CHEST `lune 16, l1936.

Filed May 2, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Samar/Y@ ATTORNEY Patented June 16, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFICE 1 Claim.

lation to each other when the cover sections are Y 1c closed to a position for convenient access thereto on the opening of the cover sections, the cover sections being opened and closed through linkage with a handle there being no liability of the chest becoming accidentally opened when carried in the hand of a person. Y

` Another object of the invention is the provision of a chest of this character, wherein Vthe handle for the carriage of the chest operates upon the cover sections thereof and these carry the trays, the latter and the handle being connected through linkage with said sections for convenience in the handling of the tray for the opening of the same and having access tothe interior thereof, the chest in its entirety being of novel construction. Y

A further object of the invention is the provision of a chest of this character, which is simple in construction, thoroughly reliable and eflicientY in its operation, compact, strong, durable, sus- 30 ceptible of a variety of uses, readily portable and ,inexpensive to manufacture.

With these and other objects in View, the invention consists in the features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which disclose the preferred embodiment-of the invention and pointed out in the claim hereunto appended.

In the accompanying drawings:

40 Figure 1 is a perspective view of the chest constructed in accordance with the invention.

Figure 2 is a top plan View with the cover sections open.

Figure 3 is a vertical transverse sectional View showing by full lines the cover sectionsopen and by dotted lines one of the cover sections closed.

Figure 4 is a sectional view on the line 4--6 of Figure 3 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Similar reference characters indicate corre- 50 spending parts throughout the several *views in the drawings. Y

Referring to the drawings in detail, the chest is of a neat and compact kind made from sheet metal and has a pairof cover sections 5 swingthe pivots for the cover sections being indicated Vat l and are engaged in the sides 8 of said cover v sections and the box-like body section 6. 'I'hese cover sections 5 meetand separate at a vertical center of the chest. Within the cover sections are trays 9 and I0, respectively, which are movable with said coverV sections and through linkage I I will be brought into a vertical stack superposed with relation to each other when the cover sections 5 areclosed and on the opening of the latter l0 these trays Si and I swing laterally so that the trays I will be stepped to one side of the trays 9 and yet maintained in a true horizontal position for free access thereto.

The linkage for the trays E! and Ill in each cover 15 section 8 includes the links I2, I3 and I4, respectively, the` latter being pivoted to the cover Y sectionV 5 and the tray IIJ while the link I3 is Vpivoted to said tray lil, tray 9 and the body section 6 while the link I2 is pivoted to the tray 20 5 and the body section 6 and such links I2, I 3 and I4 are disposed in parallel relation to each other and spaced one from the other.

One or more of the trays may have a transverse partition I5 for dividing it into compart- 25 ments handy for reception of articles.

One cover section carries a latch or lock I5 while the other section carries a hasp or keeper I'I for engagement with the lock l'when the cover sections are closed.

Pivoted to the cover sections at opposite sides 8 thereof are pairs of links IB, these being pivoted at I to a handle bar 20 bridging the chest, the

Vpivots for the connection of the links I8 for the cover sections being indicated at ZI. Thus it will be apparent that a toggle action is had between the cover sections by the links I8 so that when the cover sections are swung to open position the trays will be automatically shifted therewith in a manner as previously described. On pulling upwardly on the handle bar 2@ when the cover sections 5'are open these will be swung to closed position and it is impossible for the accidental opening of the cover sections when thechest is suspended from the handle 20 on the carrying of 45 said chest in the hand of the user. The top or outer anges of the cover sections 5 are preferably formedwith inwardly extending portions whose ends are formed with ribs or flanges 50, Y that are contacted by the upper or outer trays I5 50 to hold the series oftrays in horizontal position when the coverV sections are opened and which likewise limit the swinging of said cover sections to said open position. The links hold the trays in horizontal position when the cover sections are moved to closed position, when of course, the chest is in vertically supported position.

What is claimed is:

A tool chest comprising in combination a box- 5 like body having anged closures pivoted to the ends thereof and having handle connected links pivoted to the closures for swinging the same to open or closed position with respect to the body and trays pivoted between the side flanges of the closures and having a linkage between each other and the body to cause such trays to swing to a plane parallel with that of the body when the closures are moved to open or to closed position, and ribs formed on the closures to contact with certain of said trays to hold all of the trays in parallel position and to limit the movement of the closures when in open position.

JACOB BENTZ. 

